The regulations set out the requirements for veterinary prescriptions (POM-V and POM-VPS). In the main, these are the same as the Medicines Act 1968 requirements for human medicines, with in addition the following items:
* the telephone number of the prescriber
* the name and address of the animal’s keeper
* the address at which the animal is normally kept if this is not the owner’s address
* the species of animal, its identification and, if a herd, the number of animals being treated
* the amount of product being prescribed
* the withdrawal period if relevant.
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The regulations relate to medicines supplied in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for animals, which includes birds, reptiles, fish, molluscs, crustaceans and bees. A veterinary medicinal product (VMP) is any substance or combination of substances presented as having properties for treating or preventing disease in animals, or any substance that may be used in or administered to animals to restore, correct or modify physiological functions by exerting a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action, or making a medical diagnosis.

The regulations define what is meant by the term ‘veterinary medicinal product’ (VMP) and set out the classifications and circumstances for the sale or supply of each.
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Normally, each pharmacy is expected to have a designated responsible pharmacist. However the legislation does allow for an eventuality where a single pharmacist may be the responsible pharmacist for more than one retail pharmacy business/premises, in which case the 2-hour absence rule obviously cannot apply. For such an eventuality, regulations would be made which will specify the precise circumstances in which an exception can be made from this general rule.

Every retail pharmacy premises and registered hospital pharmacy is required to operate with a responsible pharmacist and, where a pharmacy has more than one pharmacist working on the premises at any one time, one of these must be designated and recorded as the responsible pharmacist. If the normal responsible pharmacist is on leave or off sick, then the law requires that a different pharmacist is appointed as the responsible pharmacist for that period of time. This could be a locum pharmacist, or another pharmacist who is working in the pharmacy.
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Ownership of pharmacies in Great Britain is restricted to three separate groups as determined in the Medicines Act 1968 section 69, as summarized in the following:
1. A pharmacist, or a partnership of pharmacists where each partner is a pharmacist (in Scotland only at least one of the partners must be a pharmacist)
2. A body corporate where the business is under the management of a superintendent pharmacist whois not superintendent for any other body corporate. The superintendent pharmacist is required to provide the registrar with a signed statement on behalf of the body corporate confirming whether or not he or she is a member of the board
3. A representative of a deceased, bankrupt or mentally ill pharmacist: the pharmacist’s name and the representative’s address must be notified to the registrar.
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